Wide v. Narrows Pt 2: Kinds of "Wide"

[Kyle Harris]

In the not-too-distant past of discussion on this website discussion group, out of the burgeoning enthusiasm of Web 2.0, the virtues of a sacred cow embracing a past ideology or aesthic would be debated ad nauseum.




His introduction email to Ran must have been lost in the shuffle because there were few friends to trees in those days.

Wide was in and the clubs able to embace their old play corridors by removing ill-considered tree plantings were lauded.

But what of the new? Has modern technology pushed the golden age width even farther? Or is there some type of myth that width was present, or even desirable, at any point in the game's past? It occured to me when attempting to have a continuum like I proposed for kinds of "narrow" that width is more a function of distance than it is of application.

The shorter the shot requirement and the more width exists not as a playable option on that day but as a setup option on subsequent days.

The closer to the tee width is present and the more it becomes an aesthetic or sensory concept. Playing from an abundantly wide spot into a narrow corridor is far more intimidating to my eye than playing out of a chute.

Width at trees may present options (left or right) depending on the arrangement of the trees.

There is some data to suggest that the only kind of width that matters to a tour player is an option that is over 55 yards wide and that anything narrower would have to provide a significant distance advantage to be selected.

So the continuum of width exists to provide variance in day-to-day setup at the hole or to remove risk from a shot or when the geometry works out to add a few clubs of distance by forcing play to the edges of a corridor.

I have one hole in mind that is rarely discussed in this vein which is ideal in its presentation of options from width off the tee while. Any Par-4 that can use a centerline bunker to differentiate two routes - one leaving 110-130 yards to the green while the other leaves 170-190 should be lauded. Add a narrow chute bounded by penalty area to keep the long hitter guessing...

I'll introduce it once (and if) this thread generates any discussion.

And then there's The Old Course. Has this been the blueprint of the effectiveness (and limits) of what width can mean to a golf course since Allan Robertson? Is it only a coincidence that the course most noted for shared fairways/greens using width has only two Par 3s?

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